Recap
Good Friday at Mount Pleasant was a game that whetted the appetite as the Hawks looked to put a disappointing result against Halifax behind them. The Bulldogs are a top 4 team and they put out a strong side but the Hawks would match them player for player.
The Hawks gave us an outstanding first half and opened up proceedings with a try after being held up twice on the line as a Luke Haigh cut out ball hit Brad Singleton at pace and he wasn’t to be denied; Ansell added the conversion. Danny Ansell kept himself busy on defence for the Hawks and he denied the Bulldogs a try by knocking the ball dead following a chip through; this defensive effort reflected the team’s efforts tonight. A string of penalties followed and rather than catching the Hawks off guard was only ammunition for the second try. As we forced an error down the middle of the field the Hunslet outfit were in perfect position for try number 2 this time a powerful run from Keinhorst who offloaded to Waine Pryce, who cut inside a number of defenders for a thrilling try and a superb finish, Ansell again landing a more difficult conversion pushed the Hawks into a 12-0 lead. The Hunslet side had been outstanding in defence and kept great composure for the first 30 minutes big challenges from John Oakes and Luke Menzies had kept the Bulldogs at bay. Danny Grimshaw made a break down the slope and a try looked certain but he looked to find Liam Welham on his inside and the ball went to ground and instead of going in at the break at 18-0 it was 12-6 as a lapse in concentration before the hooter enabled George Flanagan to dart over from dummy half. A six point interval lead playing uphill for the second half was scant reward for an outstanding first half display.
Hawks were on the wrong end of a 7-0 penalty count in the Bulldogs favour and the players started to get frustrated as things were not going our way. The Bulldogs took their chances with all the possession and with a completion rate of just 41% in the final forty minutes the Hawks were always on the back foot. The playing conditions didn’t help anyone as both sides struggled to keep possession and at 16-12 to the Bulldogs with five minutes to go the Hawks blew a golden chance to level things up as Chisholm made a break and looked to find Brickwood but the ball went to ground and then Welham tried to find an unmarked Chisholm but the ball went into touch. This game could have gone either way but Keegan Hirst crashed over to seal victory and then scored again as the hooter sounded after a Ben Black break to cruelly deny the Hawks a vital bonus point that they so richly deserved for what would have been minimum reward. The final result was hard to swallow and we look to right some wrongs as we entertain Keighley Cougars on Easter Monday in what is now a crucial 6 point game.
Well done to Barry and the boys!
Hunslet RLFC Line up
1. Jimmy Watson
2. Waine Pryce
Sponsored by: Yorkshire Signs
3. Jimmy Keinhorst
Sponsored by: In memory of John Hodgson
4. Liam Welham
Sponsored by: Adrian Jinks
5. Jamel Chisholm
Sponsored by: A1 All Cars Ltd
6. Danny Grimshaw
7. Danny Ansell
8. Luke Menzies
Sponsored by: Fred & Jane Hopkins
9. Luke Haigh
Sponsored by: Elliott & Ewan Green
10. Brad Singleton
Sponsored by: Available Call 0113 2712730
11. John Oakes
Sponsored by: Leeds Bacon Company Ltd
12. Tommy Haughey
Sponsored by: Dawn Caley
13. David March
Sponsored by: A & R Construction
14. Lee Brickwood
Sponsored by: Eric Simon
15. Andrew Yates
Sponsored by: Village Urban Resorts South Leeds
16. James Houston
Sponsored by: Stephen Bower Bespoke Joinery
17. Paul Hughes
Sponsored by: The Mortgage Guide 0113 2198395
Timeline
00:16 Brad Singleton Try
00:17 Danny Ansell Goal
00:20 Waine Pryce Try
00:21 Danny Ansell Goal